Page 67 of Once upon a Summer Night

“Perhaps, if you know my uncle Reilly, you also know my other uncle, Sir Aidan MacWilliam?”

“Oh!” Gwen exclaimed. A look of understanding crossed her face. “You’re one ofthoseMacWilliams. Geez, your family tree is enormous. How many MacWilliams are there in the world?”

“Well over six hundred now, my lady, though many are married into other clans.”

“Reilly never told me the family was quite so big,” Gwen replied. To Ellie, she added, “He’s a bit tight-lipped about them. I never could figure out why.”

Aidan gave them a low bow. “Perhaps I may escort you both back to my family’s castle, so that you may take your ease by the fire whilst we await my uncle’s arrival?” The boy turned and began to walk.

The women exchanged a look.

“He probably means his house, as it’s about to pour on us,” Gwen whispered, motioning to the sky.

“Your uncle?” Ellie echoed as they followed him into the tree line.

“Aye. You did say he was coming? Reilly?”

“I hope he’s one and the same,” Gwen replied. “He was headed this way.”

“How many Reilly O’Malleys can there be?” Ellie carefully sidestepped a low bush, only to trip over her shoelace.

“I would’ve asked the same question about Emma’s husband before today,” Gwen muttered as she helped Ellie right herself. Louder, she called out to Aidan, “How far are we to your home?”

Aidan waved his hand negligently. “We’re almost there. The scouts have already seen us and are preparing for our arrival.”

“This kid is serious about his sword training,” Ellie whispered, impressed again.

“No joke,” Gwen whispered back. “I hope his ‘castle’ isn’t a cardboard box.”

Ellie giggled. “It’s probably just a cottage like Reilly’s. I’ve explored these woods for years and never seen anything else.”

Not a moment later, both women halted, their jaws hanging open as the castle, complete with turrets, a drawbridge, a portcullis, and many armed men, came into view through the trees.

“What the…” Gwen trailed off, her eyes enormous.

Ellie stared, shocked. The first little building looked like a visitor’s center—there was a drawbridge to cross, and the structure itself was circular. The parapets were in remarkably good shape, showing almost no wear from centuries of Irish rain. The men atop the parapets wore armor, which glinted even under the cloudy skies. Or perhaps it was their swords that glinted; Ellie couldn’t tell. She could just make out the turrets of the main castle behind the little building, but her viewpoint was skewed by the angle of the land and the thickness of the trees.

“Perhaps you would be so kind as to wait here, until my sister comes out.” Aidan cast a knowing glance at them. “She should be here soon. She’ll have proper attire for you as well, so as to not raise any suspicions.”

Gwen managed a sick sort of smile, and the boy let out a guttural sound. Immediately, three men on horsebacksurrounded them, and Aidan began speaking in rapid-fire Gaelic.

At least, that was what Ellie assumed. She caught only one or two words of it, but what else would they be speaking in Ireland if not English?

“This kid is like a commander,” Gwen noted in quiet awe. “The men are doing whatever he asked them to do.”

The men gave a nod, then turned and charged towards the castle without even a glance at them. Ellie wondered if this was the school Reilly ran. It had to be a fortune to attend; the upkeep costs of the castle alone must be astronomical, not to mention the salaries for all these people.

She glanced at the boy again.TheMacWilliam, indeed.

“As I thought, we will wait here until my sister comes out,” Aidan explained. “Until then, perhaps you can tell me what my uncle’s been doing these last few years?”

Gwen blinked. “Years?”

“Aye, I haven’t seen him in nigh on two years now.”

Gwen frowned. “He told me he was just here a couple of weeks ago, though.”

Aidan laughed. “Mama tried to explain it to me once, but I still don’t understand how it all works. Time bending follows its own set of rules that I simply cannot figure out.”

---